Okay, you may consider this to be a bit of shameless self-promotion. Well…uh…you may be right. But guess what? One of my latest tunes, “God’s Own Heart“, is the featured “song of the month” for June at the Christian Songwriters Network web site.

So, I just want to send a big “thank you” to the folks over there for giving it a listen. And, for those of you who don’t know, CSN is a huge community of Christian songwriters with some great folks who encourage, critique, provide a network of support for those who are into Jesus Christ and, specifically, the Christian songwriting scene…

Last month, my wife Carol spent about ten days in Ireland on a ministry trip with Fire Ministries. In the midst of all the busy activities, she managed to find the time to select a very special gift for me: a handcrafted Bodhran made by Michael Vignoles.

This instrument is no tourist-shop knock-off, either. It’s the real deal, with a tunable goatskin head and a warm, rich tone.

As providence would have it, the gentleman who owns the Forge House bed & breakfast where Carol was staying also runs The Forge, a recording studio right there on the property! Carol got to talking to him about where she could find a Bodhran and, as it turns out, he knows someone who builds them (professionally). Before long, he had produced a few for Carol to choose from – and let me tell you, she “chose wisely” (please pardon the geeky Indiana Jones reference).

So, I suppose you might be expecting to hear this beast on an upcoming recording – and, Lord willing, you will. But it will likely be awhile before you do, as there is a tiny little hitch: I need to learn how to play it properly, and without the tipper flying out of my hand!

Now, for your viewing pleasure, I’ve uploaded a few more pics of this wonderful instrument. Just click on the thumbnails at left to see the full-size images.
 
In the meantime, I’m off to look for that guy’s email address. Carol gave his card to me and I need to send him a big THANK YOU for helping my wife find the perfect birthday present for me…
 

Well, what a surprise! They told me that the “Life Designed” release wouldn’t show up in iTunes until May 30th.

So, imagine my double-take when, just this evening, I stumbled across it at the iTunes store – six weeks early! I guess they’ve learned the secret to customer satisfaction: commit to a date far beyond what you know you can really make. Then, when you deliver early, bingo! Happy, satisfied customer.

So this, then, is my official announcement that “Life Designed” is now available at iTunes. And, of course, I want to encourage each and every one of you to go on out there to iTunes and download your favorite selections.

Or, better yet, why not download the whole thing?

*** END OF BLATANT SELF-PROMOTION ***

God of Me was chosen as the winner of the 2005 WorshipIdeas.com Worship Songwriting Contest. Here’s what they had to say about the tune:

A fantastic, catchy track that supports a fantastic, catchy song. I don’t know of any other praise song with a theme like this… one that spans the centuries and sums up God’s covenant relationship with us. You either have it or you don’t. I knew John had it within 5 seconds of hearing this demo.

The Christian Songwriters Network named me “Songwriter of the Month” and featured my song Heart of Praise on their front page.